


Opening the Terradio

by liz_fic



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2007-06-04
Updated: 2013-08-26
Packaged: 2017-11-15 21:34:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/531978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liz_fic/pseuds/liz_fic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blair and a few of the guys from Major Crimes are re-opening an old-fashioned theater.  Stevie Ellison, current action blockbuster star, is doing them a favor by letting them show his new film.  Jim Ellison really wants no part of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“So, you’ll do it? C’mon, Blair, I lost my virginity in that theater.”

“What?!” Blair knocked over his teacup, turning the old felt mat a shade darker with the spilt tea.

“Yep. Kelly Sinclair, Advanced Voice.”

“So you weren’t the stud you always said you were?” Blair laughed.

“Nah, Jim got all the looks.”

“So why—“ Blair sent a puzzled brow towards the vaulted ceiling, not really seeing the painstakingly restored mural of the terraced pyramids.

“He wasn’t interested in the spotlight.” Steven quickly replied as Blair pondered the mystery of the Ellison brother he’d never met. “But you still didn’t answer me.”

“Of course, man! This’ll be great! Think of the promotional value alone.” Blair made a sweeping gesture, although he knew Steven couldn’t see him. “Stevie Ellison first got laid here! Be the first to sit in the seat where it happened!” Blair grinned at Steven’s backpedaling. “I’m kidding, man, but really, how did you know?”

“I keep a hand in,” Steven paused a beat then chuckled, “Okay. Okay. Sally could not stop talking about how you’re re-opening the Terradio.”

Blair grinned widely, “Well, you know Sara always wanted to re-open the place. It’s just recently that I’ve been able to pull everything together.”

“Would it be okay if I came in for the Grand Opening?”

Blair was momentarily speechless. “Oh my god!” Blair popped the desk three times in succession, grimacing at the tea stain he hadn’t quite mopped up completely, but undaunted by it. “Not only do you want me to show the movie, you want to be there in person?!? That would be out of this world, Stevie!”

Steven chuckled at Blair’s enthusiasm. “Good. What day?”

Blair spluttered indignantly, before replying, “Halloween of course.”

Steven laughed outright. “Of course.” 

A muffled noise interrupted the rest of Steven’s response. “Hey, look Blair. My lovely agent’s making funny faces at me. I gotta go. I’ll probably have a few bodyguards just in case. That okay?”

“Couldn’t hurt. You know I’m going to invite most of Major Crimes too, right? Should be pretty safe.”

“In Cascade? Blair, you do read the newspaper, right?”

“Yeah, but don’t sweat it.” Blair looked down at the paperwork, thankfully not covered in tea, his cousin Robert had brought when Stevie first approached him with the idea of showing his latest film. “I’m sure Joey DiMarco’s men will be here too.”

“That makes me feel so much better. Even I’ve heard of DiMarco out here in SoCal.”

“How could you not? He’s the guy if you want ‘efficient and thorough’ private and preview screenings to hear Robert tell it.”

“That’s part of the reason Shamrock 3 flopped. I didn’t want to use him. The studio never did let me live that down. But hey, we’ll do a few meet and greets with a radio station or maybe an interview with Wendy Hawthorne? What do you think?”

“I think we’ll be turning them away at the door.” Blair bit his lip. “Is it okay if I invite your father too?”

“With Jimmy going?” Blair could hear Steven tapping on something. “Well, yeah, that should be fine. I mean, I do have bodyguards, right?”

“I’ll make sure the whole theater’s between them,” Blair cajoled. “I promise.”

Steven laughed a little less cheerfully, “I’m not sure the whole city is big enough, sometimes.”

“Are you sure it’s okay to invite them both? I mean, your father is important, but Simon and Joel are practically my partners. There’s no way I could leave your brother out.”

Blair could hear Candace’s sweet voice, movement of the phone; then Candace more clearly, “Blair, Steven has to be on the set in about an hour for a night shoot. I’ll send you the details as soon as we have them worked out.”

Blair grinned again. “Thanks Candace. Hug Milly for me.”

“Sure thing, hon. Try not to keep my husband too tied up at the opening, it’s his turn to take Milly trick-or-treating.”

Blair’s eyes lit up. “Candace, I could just kiss you! You’re a genius!”

Candace laughed. “That’s why I’m a successful agent. You should’ve seen Stevie when he first came to LA, before I convinced him to drop that low-life Carl.”

Blair laughed too. “I know. If you left it up to him you’d still be eating noodles and busking on the corner.” More muffled noises followed by a higher pitched voice.

“Hi, Uncle Blair.”

“Hi, Milly. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Waiting on Daddy.”

“Ah, well all little girls need their rest so they can become big and strong.”

“You mean smart and beautiful.”

Blair was slightly chagrinned. “That too, sweetheart. Now run along, I have one more question for mommy.”

“Okay, g’nite Uncle Blair.”

More shuffling of the phone, along with high pitched giggling just this side of shrill, before Candace returned. “Now, what was that idea?”

“What if we had an early trick or treat in the theater? I mean, the space is large enough and has enough pathways.” Blair leaned back in his chair, toying with the cord. “We weren’t going to use it for anything but actually showing the movie; the reception will be in the atrium.” Blair finally took a breath. “So what do you think?”

“Well.” She said slowly. “I don’t know Blair. It’s a great idea, but think of the work you’ll have. I know you have to be over-taxed already with the Grand Opening.”

“I know, I know.” Blair danced in his chair. “It’ll be great though. You’ll see. And I hope you realize that you and Milly have to join us. It’ll be totally kid friendly. Really.”

Blair could hear Candace’s excitement. “I’ll talk to Stevie tonight.” Then she sounded crestfallen. “I don’t think he’ll want her to watch his movie though.”

“No, you’re probably right.” Blair sighed. “I couldn’t see him letting her watch the original, let alone the version where he attempts to kill her Uncle Ted.”

“You have to admit though, Ted was a brilliant choice for Nosferatu, though I have to say he’s much more sexy than the original.” Blair could hear her smile. “He can definitely go from on his deathbed to wickedly evil in seconds.”

“No kidding.” Blair shuddered in remembrance. “He always plays the bad boy, but he gave me shivers when I visited the set last summer.” 

Blair would never admit to it, but he had followed the man’s career from soaps to prime time, and back to soaps. The man might not always play the hero, but he was definitely hot. 

“I don’t suppose he’d be willing to come in?” Blair said wistfully.

“Ted? Well, I can see, but he’s been busy on that soap for years. It films in Hollywood, so that’s not as bad as New York.” Candace paused. “But it was only because they wrote him as deathly sick on that remote island that he was able to do this film.”

“It’s okay. I mean, I thought he might like to join Stevie at the screening.” 

“Hmmm. Well, I’ll see what I can do.” Candace paused again. “Well, hon, I gotta say goodnight to Milly before she falls asleep. We’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.” Blair replied before placing the earpiece back on the hook. People were always surprised at the long-necked rotary phone, but glancing upward and actually seeing the mural, he wasn’t sure why. Blair stretched a few kinks out of his back before rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

Candace was still the best thing that ever happened to Blair, Naomi and Sara notwithstanding. If it weren’t for Candace’s offer to split rent, he would’ve been stuck in one of those warehouse spaces with rats the size of large Chihuahuas. 

The next morning, Blair spent a brief moment wondering if he was going to make it. There was so much to do, he felt a tiny sliver of doubt about the Terradio actually opening on time. But he soon remembered Stevie’s call. It was going to make the opening something special for sure. Blair shook his head, who would’ve thought that Stevie would go on to make millions in a low-budget thriller entitled ‘Clandestine’ after spending most of his 20s performing outside the Brownstreet café for a few bucks and a sandwich. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

Without flipping the light on, Jim hung his jacket and slipped out of his shoulder holster. Wiping his face tiredly, he carried his piece up to the lock-box next to his bed. He placed the handgun carefully into the box. Removing the piece strapped to his ankle pulled the stitches in his side, but Jim paused to untie his boots while he was still bent over. With a grunt, Jim straightened and placed the second piece into the metal box. Re-arming the box with a button, he considered his options. 

Five days off was a slice of heaven, but did he want food, shower, or sleep first? Still edgy-wired from adrenaline, lack of sleep, and too much local anesthetic, Jim spent more time considering than he usually would. Jim toed off his shoes. Trying to shake the fog of medication, he eyed the stairs dubiously. Walking downstairs with more age than he could remember, Jim spied the blinking light of his answering machine. 

Ignoring the machine for more urgent matters, Jim entered the somewhat cheery kitchen. Sally must’ve been over again, he absently noted while fingering the soft dishtowel. Jim hadn’t been able to do laundry in weeks and the dishtowel had the freshly washed scent Sally favored. 

Without bothering with the kitchen light in the false dawn hours of the morning, Jim padded to the coffee maker. That started, he wandered to the icebox. The pain meds Doc Keely had slipped him caused him to wince and squint into the refrigerator’s light. Searching its contents, Jim pulled out the egg carton and some butter. 

Jim spooned a small amount of butter into the pan. When in doubt have eggs, Jim thought as he returned the butter to its place on the third shelf in front of the sour cream, but behind the cream cheese for his bagels. It’s too bad Simon didn’t think to stop off at Shop-n-Save over on Sixth before dropping me here, I could use some decent food in the loft, which Jim immediately dismissed as an uncharitable thought. 

His captain had waited for three hours in the emergency room making sure that Jim would survive the knife to the gut he’d taken apprehending the perp for the O’Malley case. His watering eyes burned while he finished preparing the eggs. Dishing the eggs up, Jim set his plate on the oak table. Deciding to have toast with his eggs, Jim spotted the bread he had bought before O’Malley tried to redecorate his insides. Opening the bread, Jim flinched from the horrible smell wafting from the plastic bag. Holding his breath, he carried the two-day old bread to the garbage can on the patio. “I need to stop by the Minit Mart and chew the guy out for selling bad bread.” Jim muttered, pulling out a bagel which promised to be fresher. 

Remembering his coffee, Jim poured himself a cup of his favorite blend from Simon, not that he would admit to liking any of the flavored crap Simon offered. Iquitos Morning always hinted of a peaceful contentment, as well as his time in Peru, hazy as his memories were. Jim hit the button to the answering machine and returned to his eggs and bagel. 

“Hi, this is Blair Sandburg.” The voice paused, allowing a hint of static through on the line. “Um, I’m sorry that I’ve missed you. I just wanted to let you know that you’ve won tickets to the grand re-opening of the Terradio. Well, okay, not really won, but you’re on the guest list. Talk to Robert at the entrance, and he’ll let you in. Stevie will be there and he really wanted you to come.”

Jim grimaced. If Stevie really wanted him to come, he would have called himself, not let some smarmy lackey with a nice voice do it, Jim thought sourly. Jim let the machine play, and heard another message from Simon to remember that he was voluntarily required to be at the re-opening of the Terradio, but that a monkey suit would not be necessary, even if it would make his ugly mug look presentable. Jim chuckled tiredly at that. Leave it to his Captain to try to smooth things over with an insult.

Finishing his meal, Jim swallowed the last of his coffee. Jim washed his dishes and left them in the strainer before stumbling up to his bed. 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Right, two more calls and we’ll have a full house.” Blair said as he closed the door to his office.

“As long as everyone shows up.” Robert muttered as he unwound the vacuum cord.

“What do you mean? It’s opening Halloween night and I’m showing a copy of Murnau’s unauthorized Dracula movie! Nosferatu is a classic! Not to mention that right after I’ll be showing a sneak preview of the remake with Ellison. As far as I know, no one else will even have the movie until December.”

“I’m just not sure this is going to work.”

“It’ll be fine, Robert. You’ll see.”

Robert shrugged and returned to the vacuum cleaner. Blair was lucky his cousin loved him like a brother otherwise this opening would be seriously delayed. As it was, Blair had been working on this since his Aunt Sara had left him the Main Street property on which the old run down theater resided. 

Not technically his Aunt, Sara Kent was one of his mother Naomi's longtime companions and sister in travel. Sara always found a few months each year for Blair to spend at the Terradio with her when Naomi had wanderlust the worst. He loved the place enough to switch majors to Film Studies with an emphasis on production and distribution. He thrived on helping small theaters get off the ground, always with the Terradio in the back of his mind as soon as he could get enough resources together. 

Blair smiled back at Robert. “Okay, I’m gonna go over the catering menu again. When you’re done with that why don’t you go on home?”

“Thanks Blair. I’ll see you tomorrow, eh?”

Blair clapped Robert on the back. “You got it, man.”

Blair slid down the curved banister to the lobby below. Crossing the lobby, Blair ran down his mental list of things that still needed to be done before the grand opening. He grabbed a cup of coffee from the cafe, which was his original intention before being interrupted by Robert. Blair didn’t blame his cousin for being worried. Blair ran his fingers through his hair. He was worried too. The theater was starting out as more of a co-op than sole proprietorship. A few of his friends from the Cascade PD were branching out with their hobbies during their off time to help. 

Simon, the captain of Major Crimes, was donating exotic coffee and cigars. Joel was in charge of catering; Henri was music. In fact, Blair had almost renamed the theater to 'Major Crimes’ to thank his three friends. It didn’t hurt that the theater, with the exception of opening night, was primarily going to show crime dramas, from old westerns to gangster flicks. Blair thought it was suitable, but Simon vetoed that idea immediately saying that he preferred more anonymity than that.

The only way Blair could afford the luxury of the grand re-opening was through their generosity. They were providing refreshments and entertainment gratis. After the opening, each of Blair’s friends would base their enterprises out of the café and adjoining room off the lobby. Reaching his favorite seat in the café, the one under the window with the most natural light, Blair went over the menu list briefly before flipping back to his list of attendees that still needed confirmation. 

Detective James Ellison, Steven’s brother and one of Simon’s detectives, was crossed off. The last two to be crossed off were William Ellison and Joey DiMarco. William Ellison, James and Stevie’s father, was a heavy hitter in the business community. DiMarco, Blair had only heard of vicariously. He had never dealt with the distributor in person. Robert had mentioned him once or twice on a deal or two he had made. 

Blair was sure that DiMarco was part of the syndicate, but the young theater owner couldn’t see how to avoid inviting him. The man’s record was squeaky clean no matter how much speculation surrounded him, and more importantly, the only game in town concerning film distribution.

The real coup on his guest list, however, was the surprise visit of Steven Ellison and the sneak preview the actor had arranged. Blair couldn’t believe his luck when the actor had called asking if Blair would show his movie at Terradio’s re-opening. Blair had scrambled to get a proposal together, including his friends cooperation, before agreeing to Steven’s request, although both knew he would. To make the offer sweeter, Steven promised to actually be at the sneak preview. Blair was more than happy to be friends with Simon at that point; at least there would be adequate security.

Blair shuffled his papers, glancing at the menu again. The only items patrons would need to pay for would be the alcoholic beverages, which made Blair start, he hadn’t checked in with the distributor since this morning. Shit! He thought. His cellphone rang.

“Sandburg.”

“Blair. It’s Joel.”

“Hey Big Guy.” Blair ran his fingers through his hair. “Everything going okay?”

“Everything’s going to be great, Blair.” Joel sounded excited. “I read that book you recommended on South American cooking, and I really think you’ll like the additions I made to the menu. I just faxed it to your office.” 

“That’s terrific Joel.” Blair was ecstatic that Joel and Simon were getting a chance to do something they loved, which didn’t necessarily involve being shot or otherwise wounded on a regular basis. “I’m sure we’ll love it.” 

“Did you get a chance to speak with Canally’s about their shipment?”

“They should’ve been here this morning, but the truck broke down a hundred miles from Tacoma. The rep swears that the truck will make it tomorrow morning by eight though.”

“It’ll be fine,” Joel chuckled, “even if we have to organize a police escort.” 

“I don’t think it’ll come to that, man.” Blair grimaced as he heard Robert noisily scraping the vacuum cleaner down the stairs. “But I’ll let you know.”

“Get some rest, Blair. Friday will be here before you know it.”

“You too, man.” Blair paused. “I’ll grab the menu on my way out. Thanks for doing this Joel. I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, you know, this is your fault, son.” Joel laughed again. “If you hadn’t served that ostrich chili at your first MC picnic.” Joel trailed off.

Blair remembered that day fondly. It was the first time he really felt his connection to Cascade individually. He felt the city, of course, but it was through the filter of his time with his Aunt Sara, not his connection directly. He wasn’t introverted, per se, but didn’t go out of his way to reach out personally, or put down roots consciously. He had lived alone in the city for over ten years when Simon invited him to go to their annual picnic. 

‘Come on, Sandburg, it’ll be all nature and zen and shit. You love that stuff, right?’

Blair had laughed at the Captain. ‘But it’s just for Major Crimes.’

Simon had clapped him on the shoulder. ‘But after that Incan ritual mumbo jumbo from the Larsen bust, you’re practically our mascot. We’ll even spring for some of that sprout, curd, whatever stuff from Rushstein’s that you like.’

‘It’s a spiced veggie-burger. You bring it and I’m there!’ Blair had smiled up at the captain. From that point forward, Blair had been their relaxation and occasionally, albeit much more rarely, their differing point of view on hard to close cases. 

Somehow, Blair had always missed Ellison throughout the many years since that first case. Although, to be completely honest, Blair thought, it wasn’t hard considering how much of a loner Jim was in the department. Hell, even knowing Ellison’s brother didn’t allow for a stray meeting. Blair really hoped inviting Jim to the grand opening would help Stevie reconcile with his older brother. The actor would never admit it sober, but once after a particularly bad review early in his career, a plastered Stevie confided that he really missed having Jim around to look out for him.

“Blair?”

Blair came back to himself with a start. “Sorry Joel. I was just thinking about you trying to impress Mary with your frisbee throwing that day.”

“Now Blair. It wasn’t that bad.”

“It was chocolate cake, man.” Blair snickered. “You should’ve seen the look on H’s face.”

“Yeah, but he still ate it.” Joel laughed with Blair, before yawning. “Look, I have to get up early to start the last minute finger-foods for the kids, let me know if you don’t like something I changed for the dinner.”

Blair yawned in return. “Whatever you make will be amazing, Joel. I’ll call you tomorrow. Good night, Joel.”

“Good night, son.”

Blair smiled. He didn’t know his biological father, but he did have Joel and Simon. Blair wouldn’t trade either of them for the world. Blair pulled the leather cord from his hair, yanking on it while yawning loudly. The opening was in two days. Two days. Blair grinned.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Jim stretched. The cottony sheets weren’t as scratchy today. In fact, he didn’t feel them at all, but he really didn’t remember painting the loft walls electric green. Sleep finally lifting completely from his eyes, he paused as the multicolored floor started getting closer and closer. The detective blinked, rubbing his eyes, and looked at the floor again. It was the same color it had been since he moved into the loft not long after he mustered out of the military. His sight magnified the minute imperfections. 

Should probably re-sand and re-varnish that soon, Jim thought as he toed on his slippers. Glad that the room was back to normal he started the first of his hard-earned vacation, before grimacing in pain at the reason for his enforced time off. Not being able to stand the tiny ants crawling over his stitched up side, Jim ripped off the bandage to look. His vision didn’t coincide with what he was feeling so he made his way to the shower. Not caring that he wasn’t supposed to get the wound wet, he turned the water as hot as he could stand it. The spray felt like needles before turning icy cold. He stepped out of the still running shower quickly, knocking his head into the wall tile. The last thing he saw was the fuzzy rug that Carolyn had always hated before meeting the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Jim squinted in the blinding light, rubbing his face into the rug. It smelled horrific, like bare feet and faintly medicinal. Like the rubbing alcohol he'd dropped four weeks ago was freshly spilt. 

"Jesus." He groaned, bringing up his hand to block the light, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He used his other hand to push up. Swaying dizzily, he palmed the wall for balance. After a moment his eyes adjusted, and he stood up. The mirror showed a slight bruise on the side of his face, but other than that, he still looked the same as when Simon dropped him off. He checked his pupils just in case. They were smaller in the brightness, but at least they matched.

He glanced at the clock. Depending on how long he was out, it was either still the same afternoon or he'd slept for 24 hours. 

He heard the clicking of his answering machine. The phone must've woken him. 

"Hey Jimmy? You there?" Steven sighed. "I guess not. Look, I'm going to be in Cascade today, for the showing tomorrow and I just wanted to--" Jim could hear the sounds of a scuffle before the phone went dead. He'd heard the sound of Steven's sigh and the creaking of his phone. Not violent, Jim thought as he reached for the counter to pull himself onto his feet. The phone rang again. Jim padded into the living room, squinting at the light and wincing at the piercing ringtone. 

"Stevie?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. It was one of our PA's making sure that the film was sent with Ted and that the other copy was sent to Blair. He wanted to confirm the address, and could not wait once he knew I didn't have a copy." 

Jim chuckled. He could almost hear the glare in his brother's voice. "If the starlet life is too difficult you could always join Dad on the board at EllisonCo."

Steven barked out a laugh. "I'd rather be a cop at the CPD with you. Although, Candace and Milly probably would have something to say about it. What about a ride-along? I could swing that; say it's for a part? We should spend more time together, Jim."

Jim cleared his throat. "So, you'll be in town for the re-opening?" 

Jim could hear the brief pause on Stevie's end. He also cleared his throat but clearly wasn't deterred. "It's going to be great." Jim could hear Stevie walking, the traffic sounds. "You remember Blair, right?"

"Candace’s roommate? Hippie voo-doo kid? The one Simon's been gaga over since the Larsen case? He's the one in charge of this shindig. I know Simon and the others will…" 

Jim broke off as a car horn tried to obliterate his brain through his ears. "Look, I gotta call you back. I'll be there, okay? Let the kid know."

Jim hung up. He was nauseated. 

These damn migraines are getting ridiculous.

Jim didn't want to chance the stairs again, so he stretched out on the sofa and pulled the blanket that was draped across the back over his head. He really didn't want to open that can of worms, but ruthlessly used Incacha's training to relax his brain enough so he could sleep.

It seemed like only a moment later that Jim's phone was ringing again. He felt better, not as spaced out, so Jim figured the meds had worked through his system. He reached over and picked up the phone.

"Ellison."

"Hi Jim, this is Blair, I'm--"

"I know who you are, Chief. I take it Stevie didn't call you?"

"Oh, um, no man, he hasn't yet, but he's probably on his way here. It's last minute, but I just wanted to let you know that we're doing a trick-or-treat for kids beforehand if you wanted to see your niece. I think Stevie's going to drop her off with Sally before the movie starts."

Perfect, Jim thought. My own brother doesn't even tell me about Milly coming up. Jim gritted his teeth. He knew he wasn't being charitable, but it still rubbed him a bit raw. "What time?"

"Starts at 7. We'll be showing the movie at 830--"

"I'll be there." Jim liked the man's voice, but not enough to stay on any longer. "Six," he said and hung up.

~*~*~*~*~

Blair looked at the phone in confusion for a moment, but shrugged. He'd heard more than once about Jim's gruff nature and didn't think too much on it. 

The liquor had come in this morning finally, a day later than they'd promised, but still doable. The decoy movie was supposed to be couriered within the next hour or so by one of DiMarco's people. Joel would be setting up for the kids and then doing last minute work for the adult's version of the meal. The tables were ready in the cafe. Simon would be dropping by during his lunchbreak to double check the coffee and condiment supplies. Henri's band, minus Henri due to an early shift at the precinct, sounded smoky and smooth. 

All Blair had left to do now was wait. And since he had never been spectacular at waiting, Blair tied his hair back and headed towards the kitchen hoping Joel could use another set of hands. 

The afternoon flew, and by three Blair was so pumped up on adrenaline and caffeine that he wasn't sure if he'd sleep for a week. 

Stevie had arrived with little fanfare, a couple of bodyguards stood nearby, while Candace and her own bodyguard were visiting with her mother and Sally for coffee. Milly, while staying completely wrapped around her father, had to look at everything Blair had done. 

She approved of the chicken fingers, but drew the line at broccoli. She thought pre-packaged apples were lame, but the caramel that came with them passed muster. 

"I called your brother Jim. He'll be here at six. What time are Sally and Candace going to be back with your father?" 

Steven looked down. "Well, I think Sally told Dad that Jim was going to be here, so he's not going to show." 

Blair put a hand on Steven's shoulder. "That sucks, man. But I'm not sure horror is his thing anyway, right?"

"Not really." Steven mumbled, before smiling with only a hint of bitterness. "We'll see him later when we pick up Milly. I'm not sure he and Jim will ever spend time in the same building voluntarily."

Blair didn't have anything to say to that, but before he could attempt it, Steven's phone rang again. After a brief conversation, Steven hung up the phone and looked at Blair.

"I used to think it was just superstition cooked up by the studios, but this film has to be cursed."

"What? Why?"

"Ted was attacked at his home in Jasper this morning."

"What happened?"

"He was out for a jog but cut it short because he wanted to meet his family in town for an early breakfast and an armed intruder had tossed the cabin."

Simon crossed the lobby at that asking, "Is he okay?"

Steve nodded. "He's fine. The thief shot out a window and took off with a couple of small boxes and his laptop. Unfortunately, one of those boxes contained a copy of the film for his focus group." 

“I didn’t realize Ted was doing a focus group.” Blair’s eyes widened. “Oh, man…” 

Stevie choked in sudden realization as well. "Oh, da-arn.” He substituted quickly, hugging Milly a bit closer. “The studio will be going crazy. I wouldn't want to be in on that conversation."

"So that means you have the only copy of the film?” Simon interrupted. “Do we need to increase security?"

"No, the studio will have a copy, the director will have a copy, and there's probably a backup with the editors. Even DiMarco will have a copy even though it’s a decoy." Steven ran a hand through his hair. "No, the problem is, someone *unknown* has a copy of the film." 

Understanding hit Simon's eyes. "Right, and now it can be leaked. Should we expect some sort of extortion?" 

"I don't know. I'll get Candace to contact the studio. Maybe they've gotten demands already." After a brief conversation with his wife, Steven shook his head. "No demands yet."

"So the thief wasn't after the film?"

"Maybe it was just a junkie looking for portable income."

"I don't know. Something doesn't seem right. Candace said that the studio was sending another copy for the focus group tomorrow afternoon. And without a copy..."

"The focus group will have to be postponed. What's that going to do to the rest of your schedule?"

"It depends. If there are enough issues the studio might even bench it for a while."

"We might need to cancel the kids' trick or treating; at the very least, we should up security." Simon bit down on his cigar and pulled his phone from one of his pockets. 

"We don't know that, guys. Come on, it's probably random."

"I'll contact Jasper's PD. Once I take speak with them, I'll let you know what changes need to be made."

Blair's face fell. Shoving his hands into his pockets he studied the floor. "Okay, Simon. Just, uh, let me know." 

~*~*~*~*~

DiMarco entered the building and glanced around. The courier had dropped off the film for that Sandburg kid's theater. DiMarco had to admit, he liked what Blair had done to the place. Maybe Cascade would turn a profit after all. DiMarco thought maybe he should encourage private parties in addition to public movie showings. 

He fingered the package in his jacket pocket. It was a good decoy. The studio, not that they could demand much, had delivered the real film to Sandburg a week ago. In this case, DiMarco could see the need for it, and went along grudgingly. The profit from this film alone would be enough to retire from the business. He moved silently through the lobby, avoiding the kid, the police captain, and the star. 

DiMarco rolled his eyes. There was a lot of standing around when they should be doing things, but DiMarco wasn't going to tell the kid how to run his business until it affected his own. DiMarco knew that Sandburg had locked up his copy in the safe behind the projection room. Yes, it paid to know things in his business. So he was just going to drop the decoy and get out. He made it into Blair's office, but unfortunately, a garrote stopped him from making it back out. 

~*~*~*~*~

Simon finished his phone call. He looked at Blair for a moment and shook his head. "Look, Blair, I spoke with Jasper’s Captain Hill. They're treating it as a normal B&E, Hill says vacation home burglaries increase during the off season. I'm going to up security, but we should be okay."

Blair pulled on his best enthusiastic face, hoping that the tightened security wouldn’t throw the patrons and their kids off, and clapped his hands. "Right, okay. I'm going back to help Joel in the kitchen." He nodded to Simon and Steven and headed that direction. One of Joel's servers bumped into him with a metal tray. 

"Whoa, sorry." Blair said as he caught the edge of it. 

"No problem." A soft accented voice replied, but the guy didn't look up, and the hat obscured his face. 

Blair helped him adjust the tray. "You need any help with that?"

The guy kept his focus on the tray, but he shook his head. "No," he replied just as quietly, "I've got this, thanks."

"Alright, man." Blair continued on to the cafe's kitchen. 

*~*~*~*~*

A few hours later, Jim strode through the lobby of the theater. It was soothing. The colors were vivid without being garish. The couches along the walls were plush, and he had to fight back a sudden desire to walk barefoot on the carpet. It was freshly vacuumed in a spot right in front of a small group in front of the café portion of the lobby. 

He narrowed his eyes as he caught movement to the side. Robert Sandburg, possible bookie and connection to DiMarco, was dragging the vacuum towards what must be the administrative part of the building up a flight of stairs. 

He saw, well, heard Steven's obnoxious laugh first. Steven had Milly, in his arms. She was holding a nearly empty bag of popcorn. They were talking to Simon, and a bodyguard by the cut of the suit. 

Milly was adorable as usual, but there was something about her little blue pantsuit that looked familiar. She turned and he could see a little badge pinned to one of her pockets. His face heated a bit, but he couldn't deny the delight at her choice.

"Hey, sweetheart." 

"Uncle Jim!" She struggled to get out of her father's arms, reaching for Jim. They obliged her, Steven handing her over, pulling Jim into a brief hug.

"It's good to see you, Jim."

Amidst her giggles, Jim heard a thud and a faint, "oh god, oh god, oh god." He could hear someone stumble into a wall and retching. 

"Hang on a second, Honey." Jim handed Milly back to her father. "Did you hear that?" He asked Simon.

"Hear what, Jim?"

"I'll be right back." When Steven looked like he was going to follow, Jim held him still. "Stay here." Jim headed up the stairs following Robert’s path. An office was just to the right. He jerked his head back as the smell hit him. It was drenching the room.

Jim took in the room. It was empty, the killer long-gone. There was an old candlestick phone, a warm-colored wooden desk with a felt mat, and--Jim looked closer--Joey DiMarco's corpse, dead for a few hours by the look of it. 

Christ, what a mess. Jim put two fingers to the guy's neck, knowing he wouldn't find it, but checked for a pulse anyway. Robert was still leaning against the wall. His eyes were glazed with shock, and his hand was over his mouth, but at least he wasn't still puking. 

Jim pulled out his cell and called dispatch. Homicide might want this one, but since they were already on the scene, Jim shrugged mentally, he couldn't imagine MC giving this one up with all the investment they'd put into souping up the place.

His eyes watered while he finished up the call. The whole room made his eyes burn. The blood smell was overwhelming even though his sight didn’t pick up on much. There was something faint, underlying all the blood smell. Was that mint? Mint candy? No, something more chemical. Jim drifted into a daze as he chased the elusive scent.

A bark of laughter from the kitchen startled him back into awareness. Jim shook his head trying to clear both eyes and nose. Stepping back out of the room carefully, he pulled the door shut without touching the knob. He looked down the hall, checking both ways but still didn't see any sign of the perp. DiMarco had been dead for a while, but they were going to need to seal the building anyway. Dammit. 

Pulling Robert back to his feet, Jim dragged him back to the lobby. "Simon, we have a problem."

"Jim, we're about to open, we don't have time for--"

Jim held up a hand and turned to his brother. "Stevie, I want you to call Candace, have them go to Dad's right now. I want you and Milly to meet them there." Steven’s bodyguards stiffened at that. One pulled out his own phone, and the other scanned the room. 

"Jim?" Stevie rubbed his little girl's back, she was taking everything in with wide eyes. At Jim's implacable look, he nodded once and went over to one of the couches.

As soon as he and Milly were out of earshot, Simon faced Jim directly. "Are you finished? Because last I checked, I was the Captain, and--"

"Simon, Joey DiMarco's dead."

Simon’s ire deflated. “What?”

“He’s dead. Garrote near as I can tell. Robert,” Jim nodded to the man on one of the other couches holding a shaking bottle of water, “found him.” 

“That’s what you heard.”

Jim nodded. “There was a struggle, but it doesn’t look like anything was missing, and obviously no one heard anything.” Jim waved an arm at all the normal activity. 

“That’s not all, Jim. The other star of the movie was robbed this morning.” 

“You think it was connected?”

They shared a look before walking back to the office. Simon stopped Jim with a hand on his shoulder. He looked around carefully, before leaning closer speaking quietly, “You wanna try the senses thing? I haven’t lit a cigar since Tuesday.”

“I know,” Jim smiled, “and that’s great news, sir.” 

Simon grumbled about smug bastards but kept his hand on Jim’s shoulder while Jim practiced the quick meditation Incacha had taught him. Jim reached out with his sense of sight first then smell. The blood-smell wasn’t as strong, but the guy must have used the whole damn bottle of whatever he was wearing. Jim got another whiff of that mint-chemical smell. It was just teasing the edges…

“Ellison.” Simon interrupted the near-trance. “Give me some good news.” Simon bit his unlit cigar. “You get anything?”

“Beyond the…” The smell came to him, “the Condor DiMarco bathed in? Some sort of mint candy smell, a few fibers, nothing forensics wouldn’t have found.”

“Okay, let lab boys do their thing and we can come back. You met Sandburg yet?”

“No.” Jim grimaced. The guy’s voice was soothing, and his laugh, Jim knew it was his, did bring him out of that state. But Jim wasn’t in the mood for a hyperactive snot even if everyone in his life was friends with the man. Blair was talking to Rafe when Simon nodded him over.

“Well, here he is now.” Simon clapped his hands on Jim and Blair’s shoulder. “This is Blair, and Blair the frowning man here is Detective Jim Ellison.”

“You were the guy who got the Switchman, right?”

Jim’s smile became even more pained, Blair was not winning any points. “Yes, that was me. What do you know about Joey DiMarco?”

“He’s a film distributor out of Vegas.”

“Why did you choose a distributor out of Vegas and not L.A.?”

Blair shrugged. “It’s a different atmosphere and I think it’s cheaper.”

“What was he doing here?”

“I invited him.” At Jim’s glare, Blair became defensive. “Hello?! He’s the only regional distributor in our area. L.A. wouldn’t come up this far. He has to be here or I don’t get anything decent.” Blair swallowed hard. “I mean, had, he had to be here, and now…” Blair ran his hand through his curls. “Look, I checked his record and he’s clean. I can’t just ignore him over rumors.”

“It was just a simple question, Chief.”

“Yeah, well.” Blair slumped back into the couch.

“Why did he show up early?” 

“He was delivering the decoy film. Wait, did you see a package on my desk?”

“No, there wasn’t a package.”

“So the decoy was stolen, and Ted’s copy was stolen as well. Someone doesn’t want us to show the film.”

“That’s all fine and good Sandburg, but why here and why now? They filmed in Germany, and movie’s been in the can for at least six months, right?”

“Yes, but the first trailer came out a few days ago.”

“We need to see what’s on that film.”

Blair looked at his watch. “We’re showing it in about an hour.”

Simon looked pained. “I’m sorry, Blair. You can’t open. This is a murder investigation.”

“But-”


End file.
